2022.06.22

Product news, kitchen concepts, premium travel & collaborations

Here we present a trio of product news (from Philips, Samsung and Braun) as well as Electrolux GRO, a future kitchen concept designed for more sustainable eating. We have also looked at how Wilfa became a premium brand to be reckoned with and a collaboration between Electrolux Home & JKE Nordic Kitchen Design, which together invests heavily in kitchens in the Nordic design tradition.

Philips Air Steam Cooker

Philips Airfryer is currently available in 22 variants, in a price range between approximately two to four and a half thousand kronor. At the end of April, Philips Domestic Appliances launched the Philips Air Steam Cooker Series 7000, a steamer that creates the perfect conditions with the right temperature, humidity and time to enhance the taste of your dishes while ensuring maximum nutritional content – at a price point that is approximately 50 percent higher than the company's top model among Airfryers.

Philips announces that with the Air Steam Cooker you can vary your meals every day and make all your favorite healthy dishes: steam, steam, slow cook, sous-vide, bake, fry, heat, defrost.

”The launch of the Philips Air Cooker 7000 series is a defining moment for Philips Domestic Appliances. We develop meaningful innovations that resonate with consumers” lives, and we know that people today live increasingly busy lives and yet are more focused on their health than ever before. Creating a kitchen appliance that offers eight different cooking modes in a single device, while preserving 90 percent of its nutrients, enables people to make a variety of delicious meals and eat healthier. Connect the Philips Air Cooker to the NutriU app and it will even guide you through the entire cooking process – from recipe selection to tips and tricks, and it will let you know when your food is ready. We are confident that this innovation will inspire home chefs and bring the benefits of new technology into the heart of the home.” says Henk Siebren de Jong, CEO Philips Domestic Appliances.

The Philips Air Steam Cooker uses a unique NutriFlavor technology with climate control to set the perfect combination of temperature, humidity and time for each recipe, resulting in improved taste and texture, Philips states.

More information in the press release here and on the Philips website here.

Samsung Bespoke Home

At the Bespoke Home 2022 digital event in early June, Samsung unveiled new customizable design solutions, connected services and other smart solutions.

”Bespoke Home is about our vision of creating a better life at home through inspiring design, customization and smart features. This year, we are excited to build on this by offering consumers more ways to express themselves, as well as experience more connected conveniences with Bespoke.” says Rikard Fornbäck, product manager for white goods at Samsung in the Nordics.

This year, Samsung is offering Bespoke products for the entire home, including the brand new AI-powered Bespoke ovens launching in the Nordics later this year. The Bespoke oven offers connected features via the SmartThings app, making cooking easier and more efficient.

In addition to products for the kitchen, a new AI washing machine and dryer will be launched in the Nordics during the third quarter. The washing machine features the Ultra Capacity function, which will make it easy to wash regardless of how much the machine is filled. AI OptiWash improves the results of the wash by using the right amount of water and detergent depending on how dirty the laundry is, while the Auto Dispense System automatically doses the detergent.

In June, Samsung will launch SmartThings Home Life globally. SmartThings Home Life is a connected hub that combines six key home services: Cooking, Energy Consumption, Clothing Care, Pet Care, Air Care and Home Care.

More information in the press release here and on Samsung's website here.

Braun PowerBlend 9

Braun has launched a new blender that will easily distribute food to different consistencies and heat soup to serving temperature while it is being cooked. The Braun PowerBlend 9 has a triangular Tritan jug, a strong motor and 18 different preset programs that will make kitchen work easier and more enjoyable.

After choosing one of the six fully automatic food programs to start the blender, you go ahead and choose what texture you are looking for – smooth, medium or coarse – which makes 18 blending settings, without being complicated, writes Braun, who announces that their innovative, triangular jug guarantees a 60 percent finer and four times faster result.

More information in the press release here and on Braun's website here.

Electrolux GRO

Electrolux introduces GRO as the kitchen concept of the future designed to make it possible to enjoy food that is both sustainable and healthy. GRO is a future concept that is based on research from, among other things, insights from the EAT-Lancet report, and tailors an interconnection of products and services in the kitchen. The aim is that the kitchen products will contribute to making it easier for consumers to prepare plant-based and sustainable diets.

”Electrolux’s ambition is to make sustainable eating a first choice, and GRO is our proof of that. By challenging conventional thinking about what a kitchen is, we have rethought everything from the ground up. How can a kitchen contribute to changing eating behaviors and make what is good for the planet both easy and delicious through AI and groundbreaking design?” says Tove Chevalley, head of Electrolux Innovation Hub.

GRO was presented at EuroCucina in Milan June 7-12, and more information can be found in the press release here and on the Electrolux website here.

How Wilfa became a premium brand to be reckoned with

Wilfa Sverige AB and their latest journey celebrate their tenth anniversary and describe it as a fantastic journey made possible by clear goals, motivated employees and teamwork together with dedicated retailers. They have gone from a history with their own modest brand, through nothing more than a very successful period as general agent for brands such as Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Dyson and Jordan, to then focusing with new strength on their own brand Wilfa. Today, Wilfa's products are well established in the premium segment and deliver "Beyond Expectations", announces the company, which explains how this development came about.

”"When I started at Wilfa ten years ago, we were fantastic at taking care of other people's brands and giving them a market-leading position. However, few people had a relationship with our own brand. I decided to change this. We have maintained our ability to systematically and persistently establish ourselves strongly in the premium segment, but adjusted our focus to also include our own brand Wilfa. It has worked very well and is something we are very proud of."” says Mattias Forsell, CEO of Wilfa Sverige AB.

”Around 2012, for example, we started a journey with our own humidifiers. At the time, almost no one knew what a humidifier was and definitely not why you would have one. The solution was to try to do something with a small marketing budget that people could get involved in. We sat down with our advertising agency Guts & Glory and eventually came up with a campaign that we called Sweden's driest joke and the market completely exploded. We simply started marketing our product portfolio, which resulted in us doubling the company's turnover from 2010 to 2015. Sales of humidifiers increased from somewhere around 3,500 to 40,000. The jokes did get drier, but the indoor climate improved for many.” Mattias continues proudly.

2015 was probably the year when things really took off. Wilfa became the general agent for Dyson and the parent company Wilfa AS in Norway began to chart the way forward with a new strategy for all countries. It took three years to develop and three years to implement. In-house product development and a new design philosophy saw the light of day, in parallel with the entire product portfolio being moved towards the premium segment in collaboration with the best in each product category.

Between 2015 and 2018, Wilfa Sweden managed to double Wilfa's turnover once again, and in 2018 the new Nordic 9-step strategy was finally launched in full. A strategy that includes a great deal of environmental responsibility combined with a clear design and user focus. This was manifested not least through the Wilfa Svart Precision coffee maker and Wilfa Svart Coffee Grinder. These two "black" products can be said to be the starting point for today's Wilfa.

Wilfa's product portfolio still consists of several brands today, but now as a result of a careful and consciously designed strategy. The distribution is also different than before and the Wilfa brand is a name that stands strong with its own increasing growth in a fiercely competitive market.

More information in the press release here.

Electrolux Home & JKE Nordic Kitchen Design make big investments together

Denmark has been known for its design and form for many years. As a step in its expansion, Electrolux Home has chosen JKE Nordic Kitchen Design as its new kitchen supplier. JKE Nordic Kitchen Design stands for innovative thinking around Nordic design and Danish quality, Electrolux Home announces, and explains that JKE offers kitchens that are fully in line with Electrolux Home's expansion plans and innovative thinking around the Nordic design tradition – JKE also has a developed sustainability work, something Electrolux Home sees as extremely important and as part of its corporate culture.

”"We are extremely proud and satisfied that the choice of new kitchen supplier has gone to JKE. JKE is able to grow with us in our expansion and their innovative thinking about the Nordic design tradition in kitchens is completely in line with what we want to stand for."” says Michael Larsson, sales manager at Electrolux Home.

”"It's really fun to expand in Sweden together with Electrolux Home and give Swedes the opportunity to renew the heart of the home with kitchens in Nordic design of Danish quality."” says Helle Fyllgraf, press contact at JKE Nordic Kitchen Design.

More information in the press release here and on the Electrolux Home website here.

Ola Larsson